


Evelyn Arclight

by Oddaudrey



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: A story essentially about the Arclight mom, Arclight genetics explained, Byron being a cute nerd, F/M, I gave her a character and a backstory boom, Michael looks just like mom, Thomas being a mama's boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-25 02:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oddaudrey/pseuds/Oddaudrey
Summary: A series of drabbles about the wife of Byron Arclight and the mother of Chris, Thomas, and Micheal both before and after her death.





	1. Her Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is being republished from fanfiction.net to here so a lot of the chapters are coming in bulk. Please enjoy reading!

When things finally settled in Heartland and the mellow humming of the busy streets grew more peaceful the broken family of the Arclight's decided to take the time to piece themselves together.

Instead of using crude code-names to hide their past feelings they embraced their born names given to them as children and brought the loving word of 'dad' back into their vocabulary.

They bought a house and made it appear more demonstrative. The goal for them was to recreate their old home back in England which was difficult living in Japan. They accepted nice changes to their new home such as accepting visitors and house-warming gifts.

It was a relief to the man who used to go by Tron that so many were supportive of helping them pick themselves together.

Michael had told him that forgiveness was a beautiful thing and it was really showing.

Years spent having his body eaten away and deteriorating by the harsh terrain of the Barian world left him in the form of a shambled child never to be the same again seemed to pay off by seeing the smiles on his son's faces.

He took his mask off more around home.

Despite half of his face being gone he showed no fear walking amongst those who cared for him.

For some strange reason, Byron was very content with staying at home.

When all visitors left along with his children he would partake in meaningless decoration.

He took out things he thought the lost a long time ago, placing them on empty selves and hung them against walls.

Photos of his better years made him feel like nothing had changed.

When sitting with each other in the family room he noticed that his youngest son's eyes were scanning around the newly hung photos put out.

"Is something wrong Michael?" he asked.

"Hm? No, I was just looking at the photos…I haven't seen these in a long time" Michael said with a nostalgic smile.

"I remember when that one was taken" the eldest son Chris pointed towards one where they were all sitting on a couch together with the rambunctious middle child Thomas sitting on the floor with the family dog.

"Dad couldn't figure out how to work that new camera, we had to retake the picture about 5 times" Chris's gaze focused back on the book in his hand.

"This is a weird question, and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to…I've just been thinking. I've been wondering this for a while now but you disappeared when I was still so young and when we were reunited we were practically alienated from each other…" Michael began to ponder.

"Spit it out, Michael" Thomas told him.

"Who was our mom?" Michael asked.

Just like that the entire atmosphere of the house dropped significantly.

While Thomas and Chris exchanged concerned glances towards each other, Byron stood up silently and pressed his hand against his mouth.

"I'm so sorry if that's something I shouldn't have asked" Michael was quick to bite his tongue.

"No, it's okay. Now is probably a good time to talk about this but…God, I can't believe I forgot about her" Byron admitted.

His past life was shrouded with revenge to the point where those memories were locked up in the back of his mind.

Through everything he lost his humanity and forgot about those he loved.

"L-Let me see if I still have it" Byron said and left into his bed room.

His subconscious had to have known to keep it somewhere. He couldn't just rid everything of her existence for his own selfish gain, for god's sake if he could bring his children back into his life he could do her justice and reminisce in her memory.

When he found what he was looking for he smiled victoriously and brought the dusty photo book into the family room.

"Michael, I regret that it's taken us so long to talk about her to you. I'll admit it's mostly my fault, I just wanted you to live a happy life and not think about not having a mother" Byron told him while he flipped through a few of the pages just looking for the right photo, "You were always a curious yet reserved child, I should have known that type of question would be on your mind".

Byron came across one of the last pictures he ever took with his late wife. It was a maternity photo taken outside with both Chris and Thomas by their side.

The woman by first look shared a striking resemblance to Michael. Though her eyes were blue they shared a similar eye-shape, that and her curly hair was a dead give-away to how Michael developed such genes.

Her smile was soft, her eyes squinted with happiness, her entire being displaying nothing but

earnest beauty.

Another observation Michael made was that her hair was the same color as his and Thomas's hair mixed with other colors, her's had a much more red violet color to it.

"Wow, now seeing her for the first time…Thomas, you really look like a mix of mom and dad!" Michael smiled at his brother.

Thomas seemed relieved that Michael had a good reaction towards being introduced to a missing parental figure. If Michael had broken down in tears he wasn't sure he would know what to do or say.

In return, Thomas smiled back and reluctantly pulled back a snarky reply he would have replied with if it weren't a touching family moment.

"Her name was Evelyn" Byron added, he pressured himself into keeping a fake smile on and not showing any sense of sadness towards the name or the person he spoke of. This was for his children.

"We met in college, I was studying science and she was studying ancient duel monsters. We shared only one class together and that was archeology" he said.

"I can't imagine you taking a class about digging shit out of the dirt" Thomas added from the side.

"It was a requirement towards my science major, it is a type of science" Byron told him, "Anyway, the first day after orientation our professor made us pair up for a field trip".

...

Byron fidgeted as his classmates one by one loaded onto the bus after him.

He wasn't prepared to socialize just after the first day, he was still adapting to college life and now he found himself sitting in a bus with a bunch of strangers.

Without much to do, he adjusted his glasses repeatedly and kept his eyes locked on the window to his right.

"Hey, can I sit here?" a voice called out to him. For a second, Byron didn't think someone was actually talking to him until he turned and his eyes were connected with hers.

Evelyn seemed to be the complete opposite of Byron in this situation. Instead of being shy and nervous, she approached him with no fear.

"Yes, you can" Byron answered her and moved over in order for there to be more room.

Evelyn made herself comfortable and didn't allow Byron to remove eye-contact with her. She kept him immersed in socializing, even asking him some questions in order to get to know him better.

"My name is Evelyn, and you?" she asked.

"I-I'm Byron" he replied, but that was not the end of their conversation.

"Oh, that definitely sounds English. Are you originally from here?"

"Yes, I've been here my whole life actually"

"I've actually traveled quite a bit. I've been to Japan, I think you'd like it there. It's quiet and tranquil, kind of like you!"

Byron was taken back by the unexpected and vague compliment.

"I've just noticed that you seem really silent during orientation, like you looked like a shy person but you also seemed calm at the same time. That's something I can respect" she added to her previous comment.

"Thank you" he said bashfully.

"I can never get away from England though. Ever since I was born here I've been tied to this place. My family has explored but we've always stayed in England…" Evelyn went off on a tangent only to come to a slow stop.

"Do you want to live England?" Byron asked.

"In a way, I love this place but I definitely want to see what else is there. You know, I'm planning on having my major be ancient duel monsters. I've always wondered about their origin and how it plays such a major roll in our society. It's been my dream since I was little!"

"I was planning on going into the science field and maybe do some research on my own"

"Hey, that's a good idea! Archeology is a cool class for that. You get to dig in the dirt and discover stuff! I think the site we're visiting have some bones in it, so good luck! You're going to need that skill if you're going to be out on some adventures for scientific research".

The bus came to a stop and all of the students loaded out.

The professor said that everyone needed to have a partner and already Byron found himself gravitating to the girl.

Byron was incredibly clumsy with a pickaxe while Evelyn broke into rock without fear.

"Is this not your first time?" Byron couldn't help but ask.

"I've always done stuff like this as a kid. I was just never afraid of getting dirty. I drove my mom nuts whenever I got dirt on my dresses" Evelyn chuckled.

With new found confidence, Byron excitedly threw his pickaxe into the rock only to have a shard of it fly onto his protective goggles. Out of surprise, he fell backwards and slid against the dusty ground.

Evelyn laughed in response leaving him absolutely flustered.

"Oh no! I wasn't laughing at you. I'm sorry! Look, I'll get dirty too" Evelyn was quick to see his distress and before Byron could tell her not to she whipped her dirty gloves on her face.

Both erupted in laughter and from that point on Byron felt no longer nervous around her. He felt so blessed to have befriended such a friendly person so quick.

Evelyn had a sort of comforting presence around her that made him feel more able to be himself.

She also loved to laugh, that was the second thing he noted.

Byron couldn't tell if he was actually funny or if Evelyn just laughed at everything but he did feel satisfaction in saying something that would make her giggle.

The third thing Byron observed was even more outstanding to him…

It seemed they were a better team than they originally thought.

Together they broke through rock. They didn't find anything but they sure found a lot in common within themselves. Both found binary interest in discovery, duel monsters, and even humor.

After returning back to their school from their field trip, the two exchanged numbers and not long after they went on their first date.

...

One of Evelyn's friends actually said that their love was so quick to blossom that they almost seemed like reincarnated lovers from another time. Byron normally didn't believe in such things, but he knew it was definitely something special from the start.

Four years passed fast for the two of them.

It was just days before their graduation when Evelyn came to him in the midst of a rash decision.

"I'm dropping out" she admitted.

"You're…What?" he questioned, "Evelyn, we're so close to graduation! Why do you want to quit?"

"We're going into different occupations, two entirely different paths! We might not be able to get married if our jobs get in the way. So, I'm quitting" she said with an alarming amount of determination.

"You told me that being able to studying ancient duel monsters was your dream" Byron said, within a moment of silence the two of them stood stiff.

"Well,…I have a new dream now…And that's getting to be with you" Evelyn admitted, she looked up only to see Byron had broken down in tears and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked one last time for clarification.

"Of course I'm sure. We talked about getting married before. Let's make it happen!" Evelyn looked at him with a certain spark within her, "You're 23 and I'm turning 22 in August. I know my parents won't be happy to hear about what I've decided but believe me I know I'm making the right choice here. I definitely want to be with you. Will you marry me Byron?".

"Yes, I will. Now let's go actually get the ring so we can do this properly" Byron replied.

...

Evelyn's family were not happy about what she chose to do, but that anger didn't stay for long.

They knew Byron was a kind, smart, and faithful man. They also knew her daughter had good judgement despite it coming off as impulsive and immature. In reality, Evelyn did follow her heart over her mind. It always seemed to lead her in the right place.

As soon as her family saw her walking down the aisle they understood what she did.

Her dad gave Byron an affectionate look before leaving Evelyn's side and returning to his wife. Evelyn's two sisters and brother had a perpetual smile on their faces, Byron's own parents were already in tears.

The entire time they couldn't take their eyes off of each other.

As their wedding vows were exchanged, the rings given, and the kiss blossomed the two of them felt welcomed with the applause of all their family and friends.

After all the traditional celebrations had come to an end and they were officially married, Byron carried his newly wed wife outside as everyone cheered behind them.

Their car had a banner tied to it along to it spelling 'Just married' along with an ensemble of balloons.

At their honeymoon spot the two had already started planning for their new life together.

Byron had visited an antique shop in order to find something nice to decorate their future house with. One thing lead to another and he ended up getting suited for a monocle.

Apparently you can wear any sort of eye fashion as long as you have the right lenses.

When he went back to the hotel they were staying at he found Evelyn already there in pajamas and undoing her hair.

"Hey Evelyn, notice anything different?" Byron asked playfully with confidence.

Evelyn turned to him and let out a small giggle.

"Honey, what are you wearing? You look like you're from the 19th century!" Evelyn told him.

"W-Well, I only have bad sight in one of my eyes so wearing regular glasses seemed pointless. I can change it if you want-"

"No, it's okay. I like that you're willing to experiment" Evelyn said with honesty, "I also love how you aren't afraid to shape your own individuality. Who cares if I think the monocle is a little silly! You like it and that's what matters".

In that moment, Byron remembered all over again why he married this woman.

Evelyn and him curled up in bed together with their hands locked together. Byron felt his thumb over Evelyn's ring.

The reality that the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with was by his side felt more soothing than anything he's ever felt in all his years.

It was the happiest day of his life, not long after the second happiest day of his life would come as well.

...

With Byron making good money they were able to afford a luxurious house.

Though Byron often had to leave for trips, Evelyn didn't complain. She would wait patiently for him to return, decorate the house, cook meals to welcome him home with, and even write letters to give to him when he returned. She never bothered actually sending them, she said she liked seeing Byron's reaction to them in person.

Evelyn, though rather fiery personality wise, had a soft side about her. She genuinely loved what she did, who she was, and her life as it is.

She never longed to complete what she gave up.

She was always content with herself.

One day, as Byron read through the letters set up in a stack for him he found one that caught him by surprise.

In big letters on the front it read 'OPEN ME'.

Byron glanced up at Evelyn who was watching him happily across the table.

He pulled the paper out which was folded carefully 4 times. Unraveling it all, he read her passage carefully.

"Dear Byron, it seems our nightly adventure before you left has gifted us with something special. Today I found out I'm…Pregnant?" Byron read allowed and then gasped at her.

He lazily adjusted his monocle as his mouth was still wide open, "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Evelyn exclaimed through happy tears, "I took three tests, they all turned out positive!"

They leapt from the table and embraced each other ecstatically

"Oh god, Evelyn, we're going to be parents!" Byron exclaimed, happy but absolutely weighed down on by the new found responsibility.

"I know! I'm so excited!" She exclaimed, then she cupped Byron's face in-between her hands, "You and I have to be the best parents we can be! Let's try our hardest!".

"I'll start on the nursery!" Byron declared.

"I'll go phone my mom for advice!" Evelyn also pitched in.

The two set off to prepare themselves for the newest member of the Arclight family.

...

Evelyn gave birth to a happy and healthy baby boy in the comfort of their own home.

Both of them decided to have an at home birth rather than drive all the way to the hospital.

Evelyn expressed wanting their baby to be welcomed into their home the second he was birthed. To feel at home the minute he takes his first breath, to sleep in his own crib, to be held by only his parents.

The caregiver they hired to help with the birth had finished cleaning their baby and handed him to an eager Evelyn.

"Have you thought of a name for him?" the caregiver asked.

"Yes, his name is going to be Christopher" Evelyn said happily and looked down at the small infant resting in her arms, "Chris for short. Isn't that right, sweetie?".

The baby left out a soft moan causing a smile out of both his parents.

Chris grew up to carry Byron's appearance, despite his silver hair matching that of Evelyn's father, Chris ended up being the spitting image of Byron.

He was rarely had tantrums, always had good manners, and expressed wanting to have a sibling to look after because he was 'big enough'.

Who were Evelyn and Byron to deny him of a play mate?

Another baby boy came and he was drastically different from Chris.

He was spunky, loved to cry, had trouble sharing, and was always full of energy.

The second he was born and handed over to Byron the baby had pulled on his hair.

"The little guy kind of reminds me of me when I was young!" Evelyn expressed happily while Byron tried to gently remove the tiny hand from yanking on him.

"You don't say" Byron chuckled. He looked down on his new son and smiled, "Well Thomas, Chris is surely going to have fun with you".

...

One day after Byron and Evelyn had decided to have a third child, Thomas already started noticing the difference in his mother.

She had sat down with him to read him a story when Thomas asked her "Why is your tummy getting so big?".

"Well, I'm having another baby" she said, "You're going to be a big brother just like Chris! Isn't that exciting?"

Thomas bit his lip as he began to cry, "N-No it's not! I don't want to be a big brother! I don't want the baby!".

While Byron would have scolded him, Evelyn always took a different response. That was probably why Thomas was so attached to her. She always had a large amount of understanding towards her second son's unique personality, something Byron admittedly had difficulty with.

"Why not? It could be fun" Evelyn asked, "You know I didn't like the idea of being an older sibling too but when my brother was born I changed my opinion!"

Thomas gave her the silent treatment and crossed his arms. He shook his head angrily with tears still rolling down his cheeks.

"Your opinion now could change. You shouldn't assume how you feel about someone until you meet them, and you surely can't dislike someone you don't even know yet" Evelyn told him.

Thomas began processing her words and calmed down, quietly he admitted "I just…I don't wanna share you".

"Sweetie, You shouldn't be afraid of sharing me. You already share me and your father with Chris" Evelyn reasoned with him, "Nothing will stop me from loving you, even a new baby. I will always love you Thomas"

Thomas looked at her with uncertainty and fear of the unknown.

"Let me tell you this, if you can treat the new baby nicely…I'll let you get a puppy" Evelyn said, excited to see the world light up in her son's eyes.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, but you need to prove to me that you can be a good big brother. I know you'll do great" Evelyn told him with confidence, "Now, while we're picking names for the new baby we can pick names for the new puppy as well. Have any ideas?"

"I sure do! But what does dad think about getting a pet?"

"Oh, he'll be fine with it I'm sure. We'll just have to wait and see! Things change a lot over time, especially opinions".

Thomas ran off to find more books for Evelyn to read to him. In an instant, the toddler's mood changed because of her influence.

Thomas was a complete momma's boy.

Byron and Chris never really understood the bond he had with Evelyn. It was definitely something special.

...

In the process of giving birth to Michael, Evelyn seemed…Different.

The first two at home births were successful and Evelyn was always confident and lively during them.

Halfway through this birth however, Evelyn seemed incoherent almost and looked sick.

Byron was so focused on getting the baby out okay he hadn't really gotten to process that something was wrong.

It took an excruciating long time for the baby's head to crown and even tougher to get it out.

Their caregiver muttered something about how it may have been easier if they were at a hospital and not their house but was still focused on helping Evelyn give birth.

Eventually, the caregiver pulled out a small and fragile baby boy.

After he was cleaned off he was given to Byron who looked down on his new child lovingly.

"Nice to finally meet you, Michael" He said, affectionally calling his child the name that Evelyn had picked out herself months before.

"Evelyn, look-" Byron attempted to show her the baby but found that she was staring at nothing with glassy eyes.

"Oh my god" he muttered, then his voice that he seemed to have lost in the moment came back stronger than ever as he looked down at all the blood.

He yelled "OH MY GOD!".

His newborn son cried louder in response as the room's atmosphere grew increasingly grim.

"S-Somethings wrong" the caregiver stuttered, "I think she's hemorrhaging".

"What?" Byron questioned alarmingly.

"She's bleeding out, it's not stopping-"

"DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm trying, sir! I think we need to call an ambulance-"

Byron grabbed a towel and tried to stop it himself but the food, the towel, and even his own hand was drenched in blood.

Her breathing was shallow, her skin flushed of color, her blood quickly leaving her body.

With all hope lost, he called out his wife's name.

"Evelyn…"

She reached a pale hand out to feel her baby's face and with tears in her eyes she muttered her last words, "He's beautiful" before she fell completely limp.

It only took Byron a few seconds to process what had just happened before he let put a painful scream.

The caregiver tried their best to revive her with all the medical training they had but to no avail.

As soon as they closed Evelyn's unseeing eyes Byron completely broke down. His screams echoed throughout their whole house and he nearly lost grip on his own child.

The caregiver took Michael and brought him to his siblings to hold onto as their father lay helplessly on the ground with their motionless mother in his arms.

"Hold onto your brother for me" the caregiver gently lay Michael in Chris's arms.

Thomas clung to Chris's shirt absolutely confused about what was going on and why his family was crying.

"This isn't fair!" Byron cried out loud in agony, brushing his hands through Evelyn's own hair. The overwhelming feeling of loss had a strong grasp on his mind that he could no longer think clearly.

He stayed still in place and cried out for his wife.

Byron, completely immersed in grief, had no idea his kids were standing just outside the room the entire time.

...

The days seemed to go by too slowly.

Ever since Evelyn's death Byron had been completely isolated from the lives of his children.

In his state of depression he often found himself forgetting to even care for his children which Chris refused to ignore.

"Dad, where's Michael?" Chris asked him as he sat in his dark room quietly.

When Byron didn't answer, Chris angrily turned on the lights and walked up to him with an aggressive approach.

"Dad…Where is Michael?" Chris bellowed.

"I…Think he's in the nursery" Byron gave a dry response to Chris's question.

"He's not there, where did you put him?"

Byron felt he should be concerned but most of his emotions were still numb to him. He didn't feel worry or concern, deep down he knew it was bad. The completely furious look on Chris's face made him feel guilty…But he was still lost.

"Dad, He's only a month old! You've barely been feeding him, you've barely been feeding us! Thomas is starting to wonder where you are and you've already lost track of our baby brother" Chris lectured him "Thomas looks up to you, I look up to you! This isn't like you, it's driving me crazy! I know you're still upset over mom, I am too…But this, this is pathetic. She wouldn't want this. She would want you to do your best and take care of the child she died to bring into the world".

That's what snapped Byron out of it.

All this time he spent being distracted with mourning and all he was doing was disgracing Evelyn's spirit and memory.

Here he was wallowing in despair when his children needed him.

He was the only parent they had left and he was already failing at caring for them…

Byron shot out of bed with Chris following right behind.

They explored their house until they came across Michael who was lazily left on the couch.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry" Byron gingerly held his son in his arms who then let out agitated cries of hunger.

"Make him shut up" Thomas muttered from where he sat on the floor with his books lazily displayed out before him, one of his favorites was loosely laid out in his lap.

"Thomas that's not nice" Byron told him.

"You haven't been really nice either dad. Besides, I hate him" Thomas spat out angrily

"Thomas-" Chris tried to intervene.

"It's his fault mom isn't here anymore!" he yelled and pointed an accusing at Michael as he cried even louder.

Chis yelled back and soon both of his sons were fighting while the third lay helpless in his arms.

His family were in ruins…He would have to fix it somehow.

It was at this moment he really started to wonder what Evelyn would say to make things better.

Calmly he said, "Let's get a dog".

Both of his sons stopped their fighting and stared at him.

"That's what mom promised you, right Thomas?" Byron asked, "So let's get a dog…It's a start to something better".

Life did indeed get better, then worse, and very recently better again. He'd have to thank not only his children for that hope, but Evelyn as well.

...

"So that's what happened" Michael concluded as Byron finished his story, "Is she buried anywhere?".

"No, I didn't think she would want to be tied down to one place so I had her cremated. I held onto her ashes for a while up until moving to Japan. The trip over I ended up slowly spreading them about" Byron explained.

"Well, that's nice" Michael said with a smile, "I wish I could have known her. She sounds so sweet".

"Well, in a way, you have just for a little bit. You were the last thing on her mind before she died" Byron responded, "I think that's pretty special".

"Well, what do you say we really start putting old pictures up!" Michael excitedly rose from the couch with determination, "Starting with this one".

Michael pointed at Evelyn's maternity photo, "I want to see her around the house more".

"But Michael, you aren't even in that one" Chris told him.

"Yes I am!" Michael laughed and pointed towards Evelyn's pregnant belly, "I'm right there".

The family laughed and more frames were pulled out of boxes for photos of their mother to once again be displayed around their house.

After years of absence, Evelyn returned in memory.


	2. Her funeral

“She should have written a will,” Byron’s mother told him in a hushed voice amongst the crowd of people waiting for the ceremony for his wife’s funeral to begin. 

Byron wanted to tell her to be quiet, to tell her to keep her big mouth closed for once, to tell her to remain respectful of Evelyn’s funeral…Instead, he decided to talk back to his mother. 

“She was only 29” Byron told her, “There was no way she could have prepared for this.” 

“I suppose you are right” his mother responded and let out a melancholic sigh, “It’s a shame, she passed far too early. If you need any help with the boys just let me know.”

The family was a mess after Evelyn passed away. 

It was as if Michael knew something was missing. He’d cry in a way Byron had never heard before when Chris and Thomas were babies. He was crying out for a mother and Byron could do nothing about it. 

Chris had grown secluded and often isolated himself with Michael when Byron didn’t have the energy to look out for his own baby. 

Thomas began having breakdowns. He’d scream whenever Michael cried, yelling at him to shut up, claiming that the baby was ‘stupid’ and that it was Michael’s fault his mother wasn’t there. 

It would take a lot of time to piece each other together. 

Byron knew they all wanted closure and he hoped that a proper and respectful funeral would make them feel better. 

Evelyn’s family had come and they were in just as many pieces as Byron himself. Evelyn’s two sisters and brother came over and chatted with him a bit though no one could really muster a lighter topic in the situation they were in. It seemed everyone wanted to get it over with. A suffocating thought was hovering over everyone’s head.

That question was what to do with Evelyn’s body. 

The planning was so late that no one was prepared for the aftermath. There was no headstone ordered, no plans for burial and Byron hadn’t even gotten to decide whether to cremate or lay her down six feet underground. 

The funeral service worker came to ask for confirmation on what to do. 

“Sir, we’ve got a bit of an issue here-“ the worker began. 

“I’m aware…How will this work? I ordered a casket but no headstone” Byron said. 

“We are on your family in-laws' property. Your wife could be buried here and you can create a sort of grave of your own” the worker answered, “Or, if you prefer cremation, after the ceremony we can distribute her to a cremation casket. They’re constructed to be environmentally friendly.”

“I can’t believe I’m the one having to decide this” Byron mused to himself and, he looked up to the worker who was still looking at him intently. 

“I…I think I want to cremate her after the funeral” Byron answered. 

He had no idea what Evelyn would have wanted…But he knew her well enough to know she hated being tied down to one place. 

She probably wouldn’t enjoy being stuck underground instead of being spread around the world as Byron and their sons live new adventures. 

She could flow through the wind, live amongst sand, help give birth to trees in the forest, be able to be in so many places at once…

Evelyn would want that. 

“Thank you” the worker responded with a smile, “now, let’s get this ceremony started. Shall we?”.

He couldn’t predict how the rest of the family would react but at least he could picture how Evelyn could. 

Everyone sat down in their seats, Byron had joined his sons who had stayed glued to their seats nearly the entire time. 

“Is it starting now?” Chris asked with Michael resting in his arms. 

“It is” Byron answered. 

“Are you going to get to see mom?” Thomas asked in a small and timid voice much unlike he usually sounded. He was fearful and most of all still a mourning child. 

“Yes, you’ll get to see her,” Byron said with a smile. 

In response, Thomas began to tear up all over again leading Byron to cup his son’s cheek within his hands and while away his tears with his thumbs. 

“Hey, it’ll be alright. She’ll just look like she’s sleeping” Byron told him, “You don’t have to go up to her coffin…But if you want to, I think it’ll make you feel better seeing her one last time.”

“Byron, are you going to come up?” his mother asked from the seats across, “You said you wanted to say something…I don’t think any of us are in a great place to say anything, so you might be the only one.”

Byron stood up on the pedestal and looked down on his wife. 

She was breathtakingly beautiful, even in death. 

She was surrounded by purple heliotrope and violet flowers. Upon her chest lay some belongings Byron wanted her to have like old letters she would write to him, drawings the children made for her for mothers day, even old photographs were all placed gently under her motionless hands.

Byron hadn’t even noticed how long he had spent standing there silent looking at her. 

He turned to the audience and said, “I didn’t actually prepare a speech today. I didn’t actually prepare for any of this to happen. I wasn’t prepared for my wife’s passing, how it would affect my children, how it would affect me, and what I would even do afterwards. This was so unexpected that I feel I didn’t even have enough time to process what my life would be like without her before I even buried her.”

He looked around at the distraught crowd and at his own children who stared at him so intently. 

“I dated Evelyn for 4 long years before we got married. Even before we officially became engaged we talked about getting married and planned everything through. Even when many people believed we weren’t ready…We were” Byron said, “We were prepared for our children to come into our lives. We put so much planning into raising Chris, Thomas, and Michael…”

After a short pause, he said, “I think the one thing neither of us were ever prepared for in our entire lives…Was for Evelyn to die…Now for the first time in a long time, I have no idea what I’m going to do. I do know I will continue to raise my children, I will continue my work and research, I will continue to love my wife and cherish the times we had together.”

“Now I’m choosing what I’m going to do with her body and how I’ll honor her memory. I know some of you might not agree with me but that’s not something new, now is it?” 

The crowd let out some laughter at his comment. 

“Evelyn is going to be cremated. I may hold onto her ashes for awhile and I continue through my life I’m going have moments where I’ll know where I want to spread some of her ashes. Maybe I’ll spread some outside in our backyard, maybe I’ll leave some somewhere I’m traveling for work, maybe somewhere where I have a great moment with the kids. She’ll be free from being trapped in one place and explore places outside of a coffin” Byron told everyone, “I guess you can say I love her too much to keep her stuck in one place. I want to hold onto her for awhile until I find the right places where I want to put her.”

“So, this is goodbye then Evelyn” he looked back at his wife, “I wish we could have had more time, but you know…The time we had together felt like an eternity enough. I’m okay if it ends here.”

Everyone let out an array of applause and Byron stepped down. He looked directly at his kids who were smiling brightly despite their tears. 

The funeral service ended with each family member getting a turn to walk up to Evelyn’s coffin and leave more items inside before the was distributed to a cremation box. 

Thomas had the confidence to come up and say goodbye to his mother with the help of his other brother. 

Chris had lifted Thomas up to the coffin’s height so he can get a good look at his mother before he’d never see her again.

He held his hand out as if to touch her face but he couldn’t do it. He recoiled back his hand in fear that if he touched her the horrible reality of her being dead would become more real than it already was. 

He left the image of his mother before him untouched and at peace as he and Chris left to join their extended family. 

As the day ended and Byron returned from the crematorium with his wife’s ashes in his hands. 

He had distributed them into a glade jar decorated with painted flowers. 

Both Chris and Thomas found themselves staring at it as Byron put it on the shelf on top of their fireplace. 

In the palm of Byron’s hand was what resembled gray power. He knelt down to where Thomas and Chris sat on the couch and showed it to them. 

“That’s mom, right?” Thomas asked. 

“It is…How about we spread her around outside?” Byron asked them. 

For the first time in awhile, Thomas smiled brightly. He excitedly tried to dragging both Byron and Chris to the backyard until Chris insisted that they bring Michael with them. 

As Chris went to get the baby, Byron and Thomas walked into their backyard and explored. 

“So, where are you thinking she should go?” Byron asked. 

“Uhhh, how about, uh-“ Thomas pondered, he grabbed some of the ashes out of Byron's hand and threw it across the yard. 

“She can be in the grass and the-“ Thomas reached to grab more and then ran over to the garden section of their yard, “and the flowers too!”. 

Thomas looked back at Byron and laughed happily. 

Byron himself couldn’t hold back that same happiness so he too threw Evelyn’s ashes around. 

When Chris came with Michael he was reluctant himself to join in their fun at first but as soon as he held the ashes himself and spread it around the grass he understood just how much of a reliving and happy feeling it was. 

Over the course of their lives, they had moments where they just had to take out that jar and spread some ashes around as if to share that happy memory with Evelyn herself. 

Funny thing is, they had so much they wanted to share with her that they still had Evelyn’s left over in that same jar to this day.


	3. Her Childhood

"Evelyn, do not play in the dirt! Get out of there!" her mother yelled at her from just outside the sliding glass door of their patio.

Evelyn stood up and attempted to wipe the dirt off of her stained dress.

"I can't believe this, you already ruined it." her mother let out a heavy sigh, "What am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry ma'am." Evelyn grew meek, she held her head low as she walked inside.

Her mother rushed her to take her shoes off before entering and then ordered her to change her clothes immediately.

As Evelyn made it to the top of the stairs she was welcomed by all of her siblings waiting for her there.

Her oldest sister Felicity was as mature as she always looked. She never behaved wrongly and did as their parents told her to. Her light blue wavy hair was always brushed, her green eyes always bright, her dresses always clean, her image always shown as the one to follow.

She was still fun. Despite subduing to their parent's buzzkill attitude she always made time to play.

Her other older sister Penelope absolutely hated being pushed around just as much as Evelyn did. Though Evelyn was never as rebellious and free-willed as Penelope was. Penelope hated it whenever mom did her hair so much that she'd always undo it. She once cut herself bangs and mom grounded her for two weeks straight. Evelyn would go into her room when their parents were gone and helped trim her pink hair to keep it the way she liked it. She was so defiant that she wouldn't respond to her name if their mother called it angrily, preferring to go by Penny.

Then, her little brother Henry. Evelyn never knew she'd grow to love him so much. When she learned she was going to be an older sister she detested to it. Henry ended up being the sibling she spent most of her time with. He loved to follow her image. They'd walk to the park together and play on the swings all day. He was so carefree, even as his auburn red hair was littered with the sand Evelyn accidentally kicked on him he'd still laugh.

She had a colorful batch of siblings that shined through their parent's vision of a perfect family.

"What was she mad at you about?" Penelope asked her.

"I was digging in the garden." Evelyn answered truthfully.

"Again?" Felicity questioned, "What is with you and digging recently?"

"It's about that card I found a few days ago." Evelyn admitted, after having told the truth she was allowed to walk past her siblings and into her room.

She promptly fell onto her mattress and grumbled into her pillow.

"What does digging have to do with duel monsters?" Felicity asked her.

"She found a Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut on the ground," Henry told her, "I never heard of it before but Evelyn really likes it so she wants to find another one."

Evelyn turned her head to the side, "I know it sounds dumb."

"It's not dumb if you care about it," Penelope told her and gave her a pat on the back, "Do us a favor, kiddo. Just don't investigate in our backyard. You'll get in less trouble with mom if you dig somewhere else."

Evelyn quickly shot up, "Of course!" she gasped, "Ugh, I'm an idiot."

"You want to try the park downtown?" Felicity asked. After receiving a nod from Evelyn. Penelope and Henry it was decided that the four of them would go search for Chronomaly cards together.

Evelyn didn't bother changing out of her already dirty dress because she knew she would be getting dirty once more.

Felicity was twelve so whenever she was around their parents always let them go out alone. Twelve was close enough to thirteen for them to stop accompanying their kids to the park.

Evelyn and Henry made a game out of the huge trees that resided close to the park. Their deep roots always showed up above ground. The roots sprawled out like a pattern. Henry and Evelyn would challenge each other to see who could walk across the roots without falling off the longest. Of course, Evelyn always won because Henry was only four but it was fun regardless.

It was served as a mark towards their destination.

Evelyn and Henry both dove down into the area of grass just outside where the playscape was.

"Okay you two, don't make too much of a mess." Felicity reminded them.

"Don't worry! I'll just fill the hole back up when I'm done!" Evelyn responded.

Their fun was disturbed by two boys who yelled at them from across the park. Evelyn distinctly recognized them from her elementary school. Neither of them talked to each other but they sure knew when to address their superiority when they had the chance.

"Hey! What are you doing? Are you a dog or something?" one of the boys shouted, "You look disgusting. No guy is going to like you if you're covered in filth!"

Evelyn had the guts to look up at them only to see them continue to mock her.

Filled with anger she grabbed a handful of dirt and marched up to them. Her siblings shouted and called her name but it didn't stop her from throwing the dirt at the two kids leaving them to scream in response.

"Evelyn no!" Felicity picked Evelyn up by her waist with Penelope and Henry trying to stop her from kicking.

As the boys went off screaming to their parents, the four of them disappeared into the woods and headed back home.

Evelyn was quiet through most of the trip until she whispered a small "I'm sorry."

"That was so reckless of you." Felicity scolded her, "You've never done something like that before, what's gotten into you?"

"They made fun of something she likes doing, Felicity." Penelope responded for her, "She's passionate, can't you tell? She's only seven, she's expressing herself like a seven-year-old would."

"I bet Evelyn would be a good archee…Achae…Uh, whatever that thing is called." Henry said.

"An archeologist?" Felicity clarified for him.

"Yeah that! They dig and find old stuff. That's what Evelyn has been doing!" Henry replied and looked over to his sister, "Right Eve?"

"I think so," Evelyn said, "That sounds about right. I haven't been able to figure out what it really was exactly until now…An archeologist."

"Nothing is stopping you from doing that in the future. I just think you should save the digging from when you're a professional." Felicity told her, "Taking you out here was such a bad idea. I don't want you throwing dirt at people ever again…Until maybe ten years."

That quickly brought a smile back to Evelyn's face.

"I really am sorry about everything." Evelyn apologized once more. After living what felt like such a bland life in her house she finally found something exciting. But as she always does, she ends up getting carried away somehow.

"Don't be kid, everyone in this family always ends up doing something ridiculous." Penelope told her.

They walked home and ended up camping out in felicity's large room before they all had to go to sleep. After dinner, they usually always isolated themselves upstairs. Their parents never did anything fun. Mom would always nag and dad was always quiet. Their own company was better than anything else they could be offered.

With Evelyn hanging her head upside down off the bed she asked, "What do you think we'll be doing in the future?"

"Probably still being dragged around by mom and dad at their dinner parties." Penelope mumbled from where she sat on the floor.

"No, like it the distant future." Evelyn specified her case.

"I'll be out of England doing something cool I bet," Penelope said, "I'm not sure yet. We're all still kids anyway."

"I'll be a married woman." Felicity stated bluntly.

"Whoa!" Evelyn shot up from the bed and joined in on her sibling's laughter.

"You're way in over your head there." Penelope chuckled.

"Oh don't act like it won't happen." Felicity talked back.

"I'm not saying it won't happen! I just think it's funny how the first thing that came to your mind about the future was marriage." Penelope said.

"Felicity is really pretty so I bet she'll get married soon." Henry added.

"Aw, thank you Henry." Felicity smiled down at her brother.

"She's twelve, Henry." Penelope said.

"What he said still counts!" Felicity laughed victoriously, "After marriage i'll probably become a journalist."

"Henry, what do you want to do?" Evelyn asked.

"Uh…I dunno." Henry responded.

"What's something all little boys want to become?" Penelope asked the rest of the girls.

"Firefighter, astronaut, an athlete," Felicity listed, "stuff like that."

"Well Henry, I say you'll be either three at some point." Penelope concluded, "Then we have little miss archeologist over here who's determined to be exactly who she wants to be."

"When I am one and I uncover more mysteries and ancient stuff I'll show it all to you." Evelyn said with confidence.

"We'll look forward to it, kiddo." Penelope told her.

All of them returned to their separate rooms. The following day she would walk to school with her younger brother, their hands interlocked. She would come home and play with her siblings in the back yard, spend nights out with her whole family and this whole cycle repeated for so many years.

The contact she had with her family was close even after her sudden marriage.

Her siblings didn't miss out on being a part of Evelyn and Byron's life.

The future was bright for a good long while.

Until one day it all stopped.

…

In the new Arclight household, they had received a sudden phone call from Yuma Tsukumo.

Michael wasn't in the room when his D-Gazer rang so Thomas answered it for him.

"What's up?"

"Oh Thomas, hey, some lady just stopped by at my house and she's looking for you guys."

Thomas glanced back at his father and Chris who sat in the living room intent of what was going on.

"Who is she?" Thomas asked.

"She says she's your aunt. Her name is Penelope." Yuma said which caused Thomas to freeze in place, he took another glance back at his family who were already in a sudden panic as well.

"Please tell me you didn't tell her where we live." Thomas pleaded for a good answer.

"I'm sorry, she insisted she was your aunt and she kinda looked like she was related to you guys-"

"Dammit!" Thomas slammed the D-gazer down, "Ugh, of course, she had to go and talk to Yuma."

"What's going on?" Michael asked as he stepped into the dense atmosphere within their living room.

No one was willing to explain what was going on due to how uncomfortable they all felt.

"Our aunt tracked us down and she's coming to see us." Chris took charge and answered.

"What? We have an aunt?" Michael was more confused than anything due to the lack of extended family in his life.

"She's one of mom's sisters. We cut contact a long time ago so she doesn't know what happened to us…" Chris said, all the attention was brought onto Byron.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Chris, Thomas, and Byron all shot up and made their way into the other room. Chris and Thomas were shoving their father ahead of them.

"Michael, you need to handle this." Thomas ordered him.

"Me? I don't even know her!"

"We've got to hide dad and I don't want her seeing Chris and I either. She'll question you less since she only saw you as a baby."

"But-"

His family had already left the room leaving Michael to only sigh and nervously open the door.

He was legitimately surprised to see the striking resemblance from himself and the woman. Without even really knowing her he could tell they were family.

"Oh my god…" She gasped, "Michael is that you?"

"Y-Yep." Michael stuttered awkwardly.

She pulled him into a tight hug, "You've grown so much."

"Uh, would you like to sit down?" Michael gestured to the couch.

She graciously sat down, "I'm sorry this is sudden. I haven't been in contact with your family since…Well, since your mother passed away. I saw your brothers on the TV broadcast of the World Duel Carnival and I just knew I had to see you again. Why didn't you participate?"

"I got sick." Michael told her, which wasn't too far off from the truth itself.

"I'm sorry. It was amazing seeing Thomas and Chris again. I've wanted to see you all for a long time but I just didn't know where to find you. Byron cut us off years ago, I bet he didn't even tell you about me. You can call me Penny." she said, "I'm sure your father had his reasons. By the way, where is Byron?"

Michael bit his lip. There was no easy way of explaining what happened to Byron to her. So yet again, he had to bend the truth.

"He passed away awhile ago." Michael said.

"I am so sorry." Penelope expressed sympathy, "Both your parents left too soon. I can't imagine what you're going through."

"It's not all bad, Chris is old enough to be our legal guardian so we're all together." Michael said with a smile.

"That's nice." Penelope let out a heavy sigh, "I wish things didn't have to be this way. I respect your father's decision. I won't come back again…But I at least wanted to see you at least once. I don't see Chris or Thomas anywhere, are they out?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll tell them you came by."

"Thank you…If your mother was still alive maybe we could have been close. Ever since she died Byron had been distancing himself from us, then he stopped talking. We found out he moved too." Penelope turned towards the new portraits hung up at their wall, "I was worried but I'm glad to know that he seems to have lived a happy life."

In reality, Byron suffered for five long years within his disappearance. That terrible memory seemed to drown out the memory of when they were happy. Looking back on it, Michael remembered his father lovingly. Before the Tron persona, his smile was always bright. It really was something worth fighting for in the end.

Michael smiled himself, "I remember him fondly."

"I do too, just as much as I remember my sister." Penelope said, "I bet they're happy together now."

Michael turned to the side and saw Byron poking his face around the corner. Michael waved at him as Byron went back into hiding.

"Thank you so much for visiting." Michael told her.

"You're so welcome, kiddo." Penelope said, "I have something for you."

Penelope pulled a photograph out of her purse to hand him a photograph. It was a family photo of when Evelyn was little.

For the first time Michael saw his extended family.

"Your mother is the girl standing next to the right of me. The girl on the left if your Aunt Felicity and the boy is your Uncle Henry. The two in the back are the illustrious Bridget and Lawrence Baisley" Abigail pointed out.

"Mom's maiden name was Baisley?" Michael asked, "That's really pretty."

"You see your grandpa? Your brother Chris may look most like your dad but he got his silver hair." Penelope pointed towards Lawrence, "Your grandmother was a real piece of work but she'd probably spoil you rotten."

They spent a good amount talking before Penelope took her leave.

"Damn, that took a long time." Thomas mumbled under his breath, "What took you so long?"

"She's fun to talk to. She gave me this photo." Michael said and handed the photo to his brother.

"Oh wow, Chris look." Thomas pulled the oldest brother over.

After it was handed to Byron he found that there was something written on the back.

'You may not have become what you said you would be in the future, you became something better. We'll always be proud of you. Love, your family.'


	4. Her Doubt

It must have been the third time she woke up at night in a cold sweat.

As her pregnancy entered eight months she began suffering from symptoms she never went through with her other kids.

By nine months she could sense how drastically different everything was. There was something happening to her body and it didn't feel normal. Once the pains got more severe she had much more trouble hiding it from her family.

She absolutely hated showing signs of weakness.

Byron was always a worrier.

If she was worried that everything would fall apart below them.

Their kids were still so young. The last thing she wanted was for her own kids to worry about her safety and the safety of their unborn sibling.

Evelyn sat up in bed and glanced down at where Byron slept next to her.

His blonde hair was sprawled out due to finally being out of a braid and Byron's habit of shifting in his sleep.

It was amazing how Byron always looked so peaceful yet when asleep he seems to surpass the tranquility of his nature.

She smiled then turned to the side of the bed. She struggled to stand up but managed to get onto her feet. She walked through her dark and quiet house. She poured herself a glass of water in hopes of it possibly curing her terrible morning sickness and sudden migraine.

Looking out at the sunrise peaking its way through the shades of her window she reflected on just a day ago when she found that she was bleeding.

The doctor said that spotting wasn't terrible, but near the end of the pregnancy it started happening a lot more.

It happened so frequently that she nearly believed she as about to miscarriage but her baby still moved.

Her baby was fine…But why wasn't she fine?

She let out a deep sigh, her eyes drifted to the sunrise growing out the window.

The overwhelming thought of wondering if she should tell Byron or if she should brave it out, if it was something or if it wasn't anything at all.

She placed a hand against her womb and began to talk, unborn humans could technically hear you talk, right?

"Michael, honey…I don't know what's going on in there, but I hope you're safe and healthy." Evelyn said, "I can't tell if it's you or my body that's hurting. I hope it's not you, I'd rather have my body break down just so you can be born healthy."

"…I'm scared for you." she continued, "I can't stop worrying. I know everything is probably going to be okay but I can't stop thinking about if it doesn't. What will happen to you and me?"

When she started to drone on it more she realized how strange it was for her not to have complete confidence in herself and her family. Faltering would only cause more irrational fear and doubt.

"We're going to be fine. You're going to make it through this and I will too. I'm going to be there for you when you enter the world, I promise. We're in this together." she said with confidence.

Byron apparently woke up because she found him standing across the hallway.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." she said with a smirk.

"I have work, but you are a mom of two going on three kids. You need rest." he told her, "What's wrong, couldn't sleep?"

"I guess you could say that." she shrugged, "Oh, sweetie, your hair."

She ran her fingers through Byron's bedhead, "Hang on, I'll brush it." she reached down to the coffee table to grab what she needed only to find it wasn't there in the first place.

Byron caught onto that and stood to grab the brush. When he came back he promptly sat down and handed it to Evelyn who smiled in response. She ran it through Byron's long hair.

"Evelyn, could you do me a favor?" Byron asked.

"What? You want me to braid your hair for you too?" Evelyn responded playfully.

"I want you to take it easy. You're due any day now, you know. You're not doing you or the new baby any good by walking around the house so early in the morning." Byron told her.

"Alright, I'll be sure to." she said.

She placed her hand against her womb again, and in her mind, she said 'it's okay.'


	5. Her Mother

Evelyn's mother, Bridget Baisley, was truly past her prime.

She gazed at herself in the mirror. His light purple hair began showing shades of gray, her skin was no longer as soft as it once was.

She refused to stop applying makeup despite her old age. She rubbed concealer across her dark circles, rubbing mauve-colored lipstick across her lips, and placing dangling earrings into her ears.

"Lawrence? Are we still going out for dinner?" she poked her head out of the bathroom to see that her husband was on the phone. His back was turned to her, his shoulders were hunched over.

Bridget walked over to his side to try to get a sense of what the call was about. She had never seen him so eery.

"Alright…I'll talk to you later. I'll let the others know and we'll see you soon. We're here for you." Lawrence said before hanging out and turning to Bridget.

His eyes were glassy with tears that threatened to come out.

"Lawrence, what's wrong?" Bridget's heart skipped a beat as she asked.

"Evelyn passed away this morning…" he said so simply, and to think just that sentence would have such a large affect.

In that second, everything stopped.

The whole world froze around her.

Never before in her life would she ever expect to loose a child. This was her daughter. This was Evelyn, the girl who never wanted her hair brushed, the girl who always got her clothes dirty, the girl who got married straight out of college, the girl who saw what she wanted and didn't stop until she achieved it.

How could she be dead?

How could she be gone so soon?

In Bridget's growing old age all her children should have outlived her. She was the one who was a grandmother, an elderly woman who should tell her grandchildren stories until her dying day.

It felt morally wrong and cruelly unfair…That her daughter died before her. It wasn't right.

She didn't even realize that she'd been quiet for a long time, she didn't notice that there were tears pouring down her cheeks and dropping onto her dress.

"Bridget?"

"How…How did it happen?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"It was from birthing complications. Byron said she was internally bleeding and they couldn't stop it in time…Her baby is okay. They named him Michael." Lawrence explained, "Byron thought that I should tell the others. We're all going to visit his place, he and his boys need family support."

Birthing complications.

Internal bleeding.

Evelyn was dead.

It was all too much.

Lawrence called her name again but this time Bridget didn't respond. She sunk to the ground and let out loud painful sobs.

Her whole world was crashing down on her and she could do nothing to stop it.

Coming as a cruel reminder, in the back of her mind, she could picture Evelyn as a young girl. Her face was twisted in pain and Bridget remembered brushing her hair. Evelyn told her to 'stop it' and 'it hurts' but Bridget had told her she had to look like a dignified lady.

If only there were more memories of her and Evelyn getting along…

The car ride was long and painful. Lawrence insisted that he drive due to Bridget's shell-shocked behavior.

Once finally at the house, she swallowed up all of her feelings in order to act as a role model to her kids, her son in law, and her grandsons.

Penelope opened the door after they knocked. She gave a small smile and held the door for them as they walked in.

Felicity was in lighter spirits. She was the most positive out of all the kids. It was obvious she was upset over Evelyn's death, her eyes were still red from crying, but she found there was something to at least feel happy for.

In Felicity's arms laid Evelyn's newborn son.

"He's a little small for a newborn but he's very healthy." Felicity let Michael wrap his tiny hands around Felicity's index finger, "Evelyn worked very hard for him to be born safely…Despite everything."

That grief crept up for all of them.

Lawrence decided to change the subject.

"Where's Henry?" he asked.

"Henry is with the boys." Penelope said, "They're just as broken up as their father. Henry wanted to try and help them feel better, though I'm not sure how much he can't do. I drove him over here because he couldn't stop crying."

Everyone grew quiet once more.

"I'm going to find Byron." Bridget announced and walked past the rest of the family.

She caught a glimpse of her son in a room to the right down the main hallway, Thomas was sitting in his lap and Chris was at his side, they were all looking at a family album. Bridget supposed that was one way to deal with grief, to reminisce in what made you love the person that passed on.

Byron was where she expected he would be, in his room.

He sat there, visibly disheveled. He didn't acknowledge her presence as she walked in.

"Byron, we're all here. Are your parents coming?" Bridget asked as she sat beside him.

"I didn't tell them yet, I thought I'd tell you all first since…You're Evelyn's family." Byron said, still refusing to make eye contact, "You're her mother, you deserved to know before anyone else."

"I'm sorry." she said, this caused Byron to look up at her.

"For what?" he questioned.

"For everything I did and said to you both. Your relationship, your life choices, all of it." she said.

There was a pause.

"You do realize that Evelyn is dead because of me." Byron told her.

"Evelyn died because she worked hard to bring a wonderful child into the world." Bridget said, "She wouldn't want you seeing Michael like that, she wouldn't want you viewing yourself like that either."

"You're…Unusually calm." Byron replied, "Please take no offense to this, but usually you'd be yelling or frantic."

It was true.

"I suppose so, I feel differently. Evelyn is gone. I'm not going to disagree or fight with her because she isn't here anymore, she's gone." Bridget said, "She drove me crazy. She never listened, I think that's what made me so mad. She went off and married you while I disapproved of it, but she gave birth to such wonderful children. She was filled with so much love. I can only think of such good stuff about her, all of the bad is hidden within the back of my mind."

She was smiling. The appealed look on Byron's face was an expression she carried often, blown away by the strange positivity and optimism that showed in her youngest daughter.

Maybe her and Evelyn had something in common after all.

"You shouldn't regret anything, you definitely shouldn't regret marrying her and having children with you. She had the life she wanted and she lived it to the fullest."

"Thank you." Byron said.

She left Evelyn's widow be and joined the rest of the family. Each were taking turns holding Michael, right now the baby was in the arms of Lawrence.

"Can I see him please?" Bridget asked.

Michael was distributed in her arms and it really did feel like Evelyn wasn't entirely gone. She didn't notice it before, but Michael resembled Evelyn was she was just a newborn herself. The nose, those rosy cheeks, those little curls already beginning to grow from his head.

She hoped the best for him.

That night was one Bridget would always remember. She cooked dinner for everyone, a huge feast. She made sure to make the kid's favorites, something to lighten their spirits. Henry played with them just as Evelyn would, Felicity and Penelope were happy to join in though they were both very low energy compared to the hyper duo that Evelyn and Henry were.

Together they shared stories and celebrated Evelyn's life, loose plans of the funeral came soon after.

About a year later she lost touch with Evelyn's family. Byron had decided to move. He said it was for work, and it was, but everyone could tell he wished to leave England. He wanted change and no one could blame him.

He kept little contact and then suddenly he and Evelyn's boys disappeared.

It's tragic really, Bridget still found herself wondering how they were doing even after more years began to pass.

She was even more old now, much more past her previous prime. Her husband was still with her, they still went on dates and had family reunions, of course the Arclights weren't part of that anymore.

Penelope drove over to her house with news.

"You should have seen him, he looks so much like Evelyn. He's grown to be such a polite young man. Thomas and Chris have grown up so much too! You know, Thomas is doing well as a professional duelist! Chris has begun to follow his father's image." she said excitedly, "Evelyn's boys have been doing great."

"How has Byron been doing?" Bridget asked.

Penelope paused before saying, "He passed away."


End file.
